OA News

The City of Oakland and the Oakland police unconstitutionally denied the people's right to protest on and after May 21st, 2015, interfering with a ‘Say Her Name’ march in honor of black women killed by police violence. Subsequently, on May 23rd, the Oakland Police unleashed less-lethal weapons on peaceful protesters protesting the new curfew.Oakland's crowd control policy specifically prohibits many of the actions taken by Oakland police and their mutual aid partners on May 23rd, including arbitrary arrests, orders to the press to disperse, illegal "unlawful assembly" orders, and interference with, rather than facilitation of, the right to peacefully march. Mayor Schaaf’s protest curfew policy itself is in direct violation of agreements with the police department’s Department of Justice-assigned court monitor.

Demonstrating disregard for the city’s taxpayers, these OPD actions may well result in lawsuit settlements which could cost Oakland's taxpayers sums of money they would surely wish to spend otherwise to good cause.

Demonstrating no respect for the constitution, Oakland police arrested Oakland Alliance members on May 23rd, violating their right to peacefully assemble.

Demonstrating a callous disregard for the lives and well-being of Oaklanders the Oakland Police used homicide detectives as sidewalk enforcers on May 23rd, the same day three murders occurred in Oakland, and again on May 24th.

Therefore the Oakland Alliance denounces the actions of the Oakland Police and the City of Oakland as they relate to peaceful demonstrations on May 21st and May 23rd, 2015. We condemn Mayor Schaaf for her unconstitutional executive orders restricting the rights to free speech and to peacefully assemble, and we call for the policy to be immediately undone.

Finally, the Oakland Alliance calls on all Oaklanders to resist such policies, and to peacefully protest such policies, including, as necessary, acts of civil disobedience to make our voices clearly heard.